Hello! I haven’t had a spare minute to sit and write in a week or so now! So hi x 3! I’m in Philadelphia right now preparing for the Be Fearless Summit tomorrow at Drexel University. I truly can’t believe the time is already here. Time flies when you spend every minute working on one thing!
Over the weekend I headed to Sacramento for 2 TV segments: the main one being with Talbot’s who is one of my sponsors. They asked me to host a segment with some models from Dress for Success regarding the Oprah/ O Magazine collection that just came out where 30% of proceeds gives back to people who are involved with Dress for Success, an incredible non-profit helping people get on their feet who are either just entering the work field or have had some personal situation that removed them from their regular career. As you know I’m incredibly involved and adamant about seeing everyone succeed, regardless of what they have gone through and I think Dress for Success is a fabulous project that truly encompasses everything I stand for!
To be honest, I was exhausted on the drive there and back. I feared tremendously that I was going to get burnt out and I sure did. On Monday of this week I woke up very depressed and truthfully miserable. I had to call my sister and a few of my friends to ask them to help me and I even called out of an interview, something I vowed I would never do. At the end of the day ALL we have in life is our mental health- that’s what keeps you moving forward and progressing and if you sacrifice your mental health you won’t be successful at the tasks you are trying to accomplish. I often learn that the hard way.
Back to before my mini burn out/ freak out… I partnered with the Kimpton Sawyer Hotel in Sacramento. I came across the property and reached out, introducing myself and why I was randomly heading to Sacramento. They offered to host me for the night, and to say the least the minute I walked into my hotel room I started to cry. I felt like when I arrived all of the staff knew who I was and I felt super awkward (I’m so socially awkward if I don’t know you or if I feel like someone knows something I don’t know) and then one of the team members led me to my room and I realized why they had been acting so funny.
One of them had the idea to completely surprise me with a #KimptonMoment which basically means they do something totally unnecessary but shockingly kind for a guest. I’ve stayed in hotels across the globe, some of the nicest places (FOR FREE!) and never once have I left anything at the front desk for a staff member. Not that I wouldn’t, but I’ve never found the need to. They found out about the summit and left me a room filled with summit item goodies and the sweetest greeting card, plus wine and a plate of chocolate covered strawberries almost as large as the desk it was on. Sometimes you just need someone who you’ve never met to be kind to you, you know? That may sound silly but the term kindness is not discussed as often as it should be!
The room itself was absolutely stunning: the rooftop patio was massive and the bathroom had PERFECT lighting for selfies. I’ll certainly be heading back to the Sawyer the first chance that I get.
Thank you to the entire team there for facilitating my stay AND making me cry!
Happy International Women’s Day! Give thanks today for all the chicks out there working hard to change the world! A few people who I aspire to be like are Michelle Obama and Sheryl Sandberg: both make game changers and inspirational figures in the world. The women above have been guests on my podcast This is Life Unfiltered, but don’t let these pictures make you think that these are the only chicks in the world making a difference. There are girls in every city using their knowledge to change the world, from the girls I spoke with at SXSW who run Girl Alliance to Halle of Halle Speaks who is a 9-year-old author I interviewed on Fearless Everyday…to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Let today be the day that inspires you to go out in your community and use your voice to change the world or your community. You never know who is listening.
P.S. You don’t have to be a celebrity or someone with a huge following online to make an impact. There are girls in every neck of the woods (I bet some who even go to the same school as you) who are finding new ways to use their voice to impact their district!
Yesterday I had the pleasure of speaking with an organization started by Avni Singh, a high schooler in Austin called Girl Alliance… at SXSW! If you aren’t familiar with SXSW it’s an interactive festival held every year in Austin for two weeks in March. Between incredible music acts, fabulous networking and badass panels, it’s an event you don’t want to miss out on. I spoke a few years ago on a panel with Spectrum Reach but it wasn’t as official as this year: that was more off an off-site event and this year the entire panel & setup was in the official SXSW EDU guidebook! I would love to go every year regardless of whether I’m speaking or not but a ticket goes for $1,200 upwards, and I’d prefer to put that money towards my rent!
As most of you know I have a nonprofit on social media and mental health called Media Impact and Navigation for Teens that focuses on educating young people about the downsides of social media. Whether that’s body image issues, depression and anxiety or even suicidal thoughts stemmed by what someone is seeing online, we go into schools and educate teens about a range of topics. When I came across Girl Alliance I was thrilled to see their spectacular work to inspire and empower young people to use the Internet wisely.
One in 9 girls and 1 in 53 boys under the age of 18 experience sexual abuse or assault at the hands of an adult.
You’d be even more shocked to know the statistics regarding young people and the power that platforms like Snapchat have: the amount of young people who are simply asked to “send nudes” by someone they’ve never met is nuts. Though those two words are nowhere near uncommon nowadays. I’m 21 and I felt old listening to Avni & Sophia discuss sexting: some of the terms out there I’ve never even heard! I can’t even imagine what raising a teen would be like in 2019 and that’s why I’ve made it my mission to guide young people & their parents in the right direction. I think we’re truly in a very scary time in the world where young people are growing up with so much access to information online that they’re lacking many social skills you’d expect a teenager to have simply because everyone is used to communicating via the web. How do we get young people to go outside and put their phones down when they can to truly live in the moment?
We had a fantastic group of attendees, primarily teachers in the audience and I loved meeting some of you afterwards and hearing your personal opinions about sexting and social media! I
We were lucky enough to stay at the HI Hostel in Austin which is truly the coolest best kept secret in Austin. If you’ve ever been to SXSW, you know that hotels that week are absolutely outrageous. During my search to try and find a hotel that wasn’t $1,000 a night, I came across HI. They are a hostel with tons of locations across the world, and they have single rooms too, so you don’t have to stay in a dorm room. We were lucky enough to get put in one of the singles, so we had our own room and a bathroom we shared with one other person. I don’t often stay in hostels because I’m a hotel snob, but hostels are a great option when you are looking for an affordable yet safe option. I highly suggest this spot if you’re in Austin during SXSW or during any period of time when you need a fun place to sleep and meet new people!
EPISODE 64: Chelsea Moore grew up in Los Angeles before attending UCLA and studying architecture. During school she started a mini business spray tanning girls in her sorority before leaving college and started BoxFox, an uber chic curated box filled with tons of different brands. BoxFox brought in over $6 million last year and continues to change the way people buy gifts nowadays. Follow BoxFox on social media at @shopboxfox.
Wearing Kate Spade boots, an Anthropologie dress and Zara blazer
Makeup by SheSpoke
I had the honor of speaking at Fordham University on Saturday on a panel about entrepreneurship. To say the last week has been a tad bit hectic is an understatement. I’m incredibly overwhelmed and more anxious than I usually am all of the time as we gear up for the summit on March 15. I have no issue saying that I feel like I took on a bigger project than I anticipated because that’s the reality of entrepreneurship: if you’re willing to be fearless and a risk taker, it’s not always going to be easy. I am reminding myself this as we get closer to the summit and I try and balance everything going on but it’s a daily struggle! There’s certainly nothing more satisfying than pulling off a big project though, I can tell you that.
I spoke with two other young entrepreneurs: the founder of Next Gen Summit & the founder of gifs.com. When I moved to LA I realized how intimate the young entrepreneur community is. Everyone knows everyone! Though both guys are based in NY they know everyone I know in LA and vice versa. I was familiar with both of the guys before we spoke which just shows you how small the industry is. You have the young actresses, the young influencers and the young entrepreneurs: it’s just like high school!
We were asked our advice for young people who are looking to get involved in a startup or launch their own company, and each of us agreed that the first step is reaching out to someone you know who may be in a similar situation. I’ve never had a mentor but both of the guys (Dylan and Kiernan) have, and they vouched for how important getting feedback is from someone who is wiser and has experience in that field. I think finding a mentor and having business cards are the top 2 keys to becoming successful if you decide to start your own company.
Thanks to everyone who showed up and hope you enjoyed/ walked away with some new information!
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BeWellTeaWell #TeaWell #CollectiveBias
If you follow me on Instagram you probably already know that my mom is from London. Europeans drink an insane amount of tea. Ever since I was a kid my mom was drinking tea from sun up to sun down. As I got older and dived deeper into my entrepreneurial journey I became a bit of a coffee addict (three cups a day though, max) and steered clear of tea. As my career has become more stable I’ve tried to cut back on the amount of coffee I drink (I don’t need as many 11 PM late nights anymore) and try out tea instead. There’s a solid amount of tea brands on the market, but if you step into any Sprout’s or Harris Teeter you’ll come across a brand I’ve recently become obsessed with. It’s called TeaWell™. I purchased two flavors last week: TeaWell™ Organic Lemon Chamomile and TeaWell Organic Ginger Mint. The reason I like these two flavors the most is the ginger tea helps when I’m traveling (I always bring tea bags with me to have on a plane because coffee doesn’t help with bloating when flying) and the chamomile tea is a good choice when I need a little extra help falling asleep. I deal with a lot of anxiety and chamomile tea is a fantastic resource when you have trouble falling asleep on those nights that are more anxious than others.
A few stats on the brand that inspired me to continue to buy their product…
TeaWell™ is a new tea on the market thats feature the Daily Wellness Core, a unique all-in-one blend of herbs and botanicals that have been used to support the mind and body.TeaWell™ is unique because it delivers both health benefits and delicious taste: no sugar needed.
My daily routine
Start the day with a little caffeine!
Pack a healthy and filling lunch. Many people skip breakfast and that’s OK- but you want to make sure you’re not skipping other meals.
Take an afternoon mental health break: that might mean reading a book for 20 minutes or drinking a cup of tea!
Meditate in the evening or the early afternoon. I love meditating at points throughout my day because it helps keep me grounded even when I’m slammed with work
Get home and brew a cup of TeaWell™. If I’m extra exhausted I’ll put a tea bag in a cup of water and microwave it to my desired temperature. Quick & easy!
Episode 63// How Important is Job Happiness? I frequently talk to founders who left their corporate job to run their startup full-time. But what about those who don’t have that million dollar idea (or want one!) but aren’t happy working at a startup or a corporate company? My advice is simple: we all have our own definition of happiness, but how much are you willing to sacrifice to a) land your dream job b) stay in your existing job because the money is good even if you’re not happy? When is too much unhappiness enough to get you to pursue something else? Listen on all podcast streaming platforms. #livelifeunfiltered #episode63
I’m teaming up with LIVELY and the Be Fearless Summit to help bring one lucky winner to the first Be Fearless Summit in Philly on March 15th! I’m excited to have the founder of Michelle Grant as the keynote for the summit and to be teaming up with them to fly one fan out. What will you win?
A round-trip ticket (up to $450)
A swag bag by GIRLS’ Life magazine with codes and items from sponsors like JUST water, Canva & Headspace inside
The opportunity to take over LIVELY’s Instagram Story page for the day
VIP meet & greet with Michelle & I before the summit!
To enter:
– You must be following @wearlively @alexa_curtis
– Post a video on your IG story telling us why you want to go! Make sure to tag @wearlively @alexa_curtis so we don’t miss your entry.
– This giveaway will run Monday 2/25 – Thursday 2/28. You must be 18 years old to enter and win. Travel credit valued up to and not exceeding $450 must be applied to travel to the summit. Winner will be selected on Friday 3/1.
During episode 62 of This is Life Unfiltered, I sat down with Jade. She’s a content creator and 17-year-old social media wiz. She taught me more about the Internet in 1 hour than I would’ve learnt in an entire year. A few young founders who I’ve interviewed on Fearless Everyday along with some young people who follow me on Instagram all suggested I interview Jade for This is Life Unfiltered. Thank you all for your continued guest suggestions and pitches!
About 1/4 of the way through our interview, I found out that Jade dropped out of high school. Legitimately dropped out. I joke about having dropped out of high school (I did drop out before finishing high school online my junior year- in 4 months!) but I rarely meet someone who really hasn’t finished high school. I was taken aback to be honest. I am hesitant to introduce anyone on the podcast (sometimes contrary to my personal opinion) who hasn’t finished high school or college to some degree because I do think education is crucial to developing yourself and your mind. Just because it wasn’t my path doesn’t mean that everyone should skip school and become their own boss. Most young people use college as a means to finding out what career they want to pursue and what connections they will need to make to land their dream job!
In the day and age we’re living in, people don’t necessarily need college. I’m living and breathing proof that not everyone needs to go to college to land their dream job. That being said, I’ve worked my a$$ off since I was pretty much 14, and it’s taken me years to figure out how to make a living and live alone. If you have your parents financial and personal support, then by all means skip college. I will not advise anyone to leave high school because so much changes under the age of 25, and without a high school diploma you might have a difficult time getting into college if you decide to change jobs.
If your dream job is to be an influencer, realistically think about whether you’ll want to be taking selfies until you’re 30. If you do, then maybe you should take a gap year in between high school and college! If you’re like eh, that’s gonna get old real quick, then finish school. Just because myself and some people you follow on social media didn’t go to college doesn’t mean that applies to you.
It’s very easy to jump to assumptions about what you think you can do to lead the life you dream of living (or the one you see people living on Instagram) but take a few steps back and truly analyze what you’ll have to do to get that dream job. Instead of dropping out of high school (Jade is making it work, but that doesn’t mean everyone can), spend your time after school pursuing your side hobby. High school speeds by (though it doesn’t feel like it at the time) and you’ll look back and wish you were still in high school as you get older and wiser. This is the time you have to find yourself: don’t wish it by so quickly.
What’s your opinion on high school and do you wish you could go back in time to still be in high school? Let me know below!
At 17, Jade Darmawangsa is an entrepreneur and digital strategist. With over 100,000+ fans and followers, her personal brand focuses on social media growth and motivation. Her content exceeds 3.2 Million views via YouTube and Instagram. She started the millennial entrepreneurship podcast The Raisn Brand in December 2017. Then received “Creator on The Rise” feature on YouTube Trending Worldwide. Follow her on social media at @jadedarmawangsa!
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